Electrical fixtures such as fans and lights are commonly suspended from overhead joists of buildings to provide air circulation, lighting, and similar services.
Many devices have been proposed for the suspension of electrical fixtures from ceilings. U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,923 to Reiker, for example, discloses a hanger assembly for installation from beneath a ceiling through a junction box aperture in the ceiling without complete prior removal of a previously installed light-weight hanger assembly. The hanger assembly includes an elongated linearly expanding brace means connected between two joist engaging means for expanding from a short to a longer length to bring each of the joist engaging means into pressure contact with the joists. Reiker's hanger assembly includes a junction box that is rigidly connected to the brace means for rigidly connecting the junction box with the brace assembly.
Although the hanger assembly of Reiker will adequately support an electrical fixture from overhead joists, there is no easy means for centering the junction box over the hole in the ceiling through which the hanger assembly has been installed. Readjusting the position of the junction box on Reiker's hanger assembly requires (see FIG. 3) several steps, including 1) removal of two screws (86), 2) removal of the lower box portion (88) from the upper box portion (74), 3) removal of a locking nut (82). 4) removal of the upper box portion (74), and then 5) loosening of two screws (66) which connect the lower bracket (64) to the upper bracket (62) and to the brace (42). After the screws (66) are loosened, the brackets could be slid along the brace to the correct position. However, as the junction box has been disassembled at this point and is not mounted on the brace, the installer would not be able to align the junction box with the hole in the ceiling, but would rather have to estimate the junction box's final position based upon the position of the brackets. The junction box would then need to be reattached to the brace, which would require the reversal of the above enumerated steps.
Accordingly, what is needed is a hanger assembly including a junction box that may be inserted through a hole in a ceiling to secure an electrical fixture to overhead joists and that further permits an easy adjustment of the positioning of the junction box to insure that it is centered above the hole.